Police suspect that Forkan Mollah, a private car driver who allegedly murdered five members of his own family in Gazipur’s Kapasia upazila, has committed suicide by jumping off the Padma Bridge.
The bodies of his wife, three daughters, and brother-in-law were recovered from their home on 9 May. Forkan had been on the run since the night of 8 May.
At a press conference in Gazipur on Thursday afternoon, Police Superintendent Md Sharif Uddin detailed the findings of the investigation, including CCTV footage showing a man resembling Forkan leaping from the bridge into the Padma River.
According to police, on 8 May, Forkan lured his brother-in-law Rasul Molla (22) from Gopalganj to Kapasia with the promise of a garment factory job.
That night, he mixed sedatives into the family’s dinner, rendering them unconscious. He then allegedly killed his wife Sharmin (35), eldest daughter Meem (16), second daughter Maria (8), and brother-in-law Rasul by slitting their throats with a knife.
His youngest daughter, Faria, just two years old, was killed by strangulation, police said.
Forkan remained at large for three days. On 11 May, his mobile phone was recovered by a truck helper near the railing of the Padma Bridge in the Meherpur Sadar area.
The helper told police he found the phone at around 6:50am and picked it up.
When investigators reviewed CCTV footage from the bridge, they saw a man in a white shirt and black pants getting out of a white private car at 6:42am on 11 May. After a brief pause, the man climbed over the railing and jumped into the river.
The footage was shown to Forkan’s relatives and the father of the deceased woman. They confirmed that the man in the video closely resembled Forkan.
Investigators also recovered a voice message Forkan had sent to his elder brother Jabbar via WhatsApp after the killings.
“I have killed everyone — my wife, children and brother-in-law,” he said in the message. “Do not look for me anymore. You will not find me.”
Police traced Forkan’s movements after the massacre. From Kapasia, he hired a private car to Malibagh in Dhaka. He then took a CNG auto-rickshaw to the Muktangan area.
There, claiming a “relative had died,” he hired another private car for Tk6,000 and drove to the Padma Bridge, getting out exactly at the midpoint before jumping.
Police believe the phone recovered at the bridge and the location of the jump are consistent with a suicide.
The press conference was also attended by Additional Police Superintendents Affak Uzzaman, Abul Khayer, Amirul Islam, and investigating officer Police Inspector Md Jobayer.
